


they would always get there, eventually

by fathomlessspite



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-03
Updated: 2011-05-03
Packaged: 2017-10-18 23:00:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/194248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fathomlessspite/pseuds/fathomlessspite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is late bringing Arthur his breakfast, when Arthur tracks him down he is unconscious in Lancelot's bed.  In the quest to wake Merlin, Arthur uncovers more than one hidden truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	they would always get there, eventually

Arthur rapped his knuckles on the table impatiently. It felt like the hundredth time he had done so since he had been woken by the morning sunlight streaming through his window and not by his manservant. His inexcusably late manservant. Even for Merlin.

Although, Arthur acknowledged to himself and to himself only that Merlin had been unusually punctual and efficient recently. Arthur had assumed this was in response to the fact that he had taken on the role of king in all but name in recent months and as a result had been so busy he could not even remember the last time he had spoken more than a few words of instruction or brief greeting to Merlin.

Arthur sighed; perhaps this was retaliation for being ignored? If it was it was ridiculous, Arthur decided. Merlin should know Arthur would much rather be ribbing or throwing tableware at Merlin than sitting in meeting upon endless meeting making one crucial decision after the other for not only Camelot but the lands of Cendred which have been left without a leader or an army to defend them.

And it wasn’t as if Arthur missed Merlin, but he was used to him being around and his chambers felt oddly empty without Merlin in them.

Enough was enough; he hauled himself up from the chair and strode purposefully out of his rooms and toward Gaius’ chambers.

 

***

 

He barely broke his stride as he entered the physician’s rooms only drawing to a halt at Gaius’ expression. His eyebrow was raised so dangerously high Arthur feared for its attachment to Gaius’ head.

“Is Merlin here?” he asked and walked toward the open door to Merlin’s room and ducked his head inside.

“I’m afraid not, sire,” he heard Gaius respond as he verified the empty status of Merlin’s room.

“Do you know where he is?” Arthur asked keeping his tone level, it was not after all Gaius fault that Merlin was ridiculously tardy this morning.

“I haven’t seen him,” Gaius responded with a shrug. “I assumed he would be attending to his duties.”

“Unfortunately not,” Arthur responded with a raised eyebrow of his own. “Did he say where he was going when he left this morning?”

“You misunderstand me, sire. When I say I haven’t seen him I mean I haven’t seen him at all. Not since yesterday midmorning that is,” Gaius explained.

“He didn’t come home last night?” Arthur asked. Gaius nodded. “And you didn’t think that odd?”

“Not particularly, no. It’s not my job to keep tabs on him, my lord.”

Arthur’s empty stomach rumbled unhappily and Arthur wondered if perhaps he could make keeping tabs on Merlin part of Gaius’ official duties.

“But you’re not concerned, so that must mean he quite often doesn’t return here at night?” Arthur asked with a frown.

Surely Arthur would have realised if Merlin was seeing someone, he was atrocious at keep secrets; completely transparent. Not to mention if it were a servant in the castle the gossip mill would have made its way around and he’d have heard something. Perhaps even if it wasn’t, really the information Guinevere alone knew about the people of Camelot was enough to fill several dozen books.

“As I said Arthur, I don’t really-”

“Gaius!” Lancelot slid to a halt just inside the door to the main room, wide eyed and panting as if he had run the entire length of the castle.

“What is it?” Gaius asked, he put the pestle and mortar in his hands down and took a step toward Lancelot. Lancelot glanced at Arthur and back toward Gaius and hesitated. Arthur waved a hand for Lancelot to speak.

“Can you come to my quarters Gaius?” he asked.

“Is someone hurt?” Gaius asked as he moved over to the side of the room and picked up a bag, his hand hovered over a shelf full of bottles and he looked over his shoulder enquiringly at Lancelot.

“Merlin. I can’t wake him up,” he explained. His eyes flickered over to Arthur for a split second and a flush formed at the base of his neck. Arthur let his mind focus on following the flush as it made its way up to Lancelot’s cheeks rather than putting together the pieces of the puzzle hovering around in his mind.

Gaius was rattling round his shelf of remedies. “Did anything out of the ordinary happen to him yesterday?” he asked briskly.

“Not that I know of,” Lancelot said and Arthur watched as he worried his lip with his teeth. “As far as I know he just did his chores for the day, then we had dinner and- He was fine when he went to sleep.”

“Lead the way,” Gaius said as he closed the flap of his bag. Arthur followed them out of the door and through the castle toward Lancelot’s room.

 

***

 

Arthur leant against the wall near the head of Lancelot’s bed whilst Gaius stood over Merlin; Lancelot waited nervously behind Gaius and peered over his shoulder. Merlin didn’t even stir when Gaius pried open his eyelids and peered at his eyes.

Steady hands moved once again to his wrist and neck to take his pulse, Lancelot stepped back slightly to allow Gaius some more room. Neither of them paid Arthur any attention so he freely took in Merlin’s appearance.

“He’s all wet,” he pointed out and looked over at Lancelot who winced a little.

“I threw a bucket of water over him,” he admitted with a shrug. Arthur looked back at Merlin at the way his hair was plastered to his forehead. “It was the last thing I tried before I went for Gaius,” Lancelot continued but Arthur was already headed toward to door and sticking his head out to look for a servant.

The first person he saw though was Guinevere. She took one look at him and stopped short, “What’s wrong?” she asked with concern.

“Can you get some fresh bedding up to Lancelot’s quarters? I wouldn’t ask but you’re the first person I-”

“I’m happy to help Arthur,” she said with a small smile and squeezed his arm before hurrying away without asking a single question.

Arthur watched her go for a moment before he headed back to Lancelot’s rooms. The door was still open as he had left it and voices carried out of the door toward him as he approached.

“I honestly don’t know Gaius, but I’m sure he would have mentioned if something out of the ordinary had happened,” Lancelot said.

“It’s times like these that I miss having a near limitless wealth of information living in the depths of the castle,” Gaius sighed. Arthur froze; the depths of the castle? It sounded as if Gaius was talking about-

“The Great Dragon?” Lancelot asked. “You’re sure it’s something magical then?”

“Merlin is infinitely stronger than he looks; he fights of most illness with little effort. For something to affect him like this...I can think of no other explanation,” Gaius replied.

Arthur was all but stood with his ear to the door, but whatever Lancelot murmured in response was obscured by the sound of quick footsteps approaching. Arthur looked up and saw Guinevere walking toward him, a basket piled high with bedding in her arms.

She frowned at him and Arthur realised it was likely quite clear to any observer what he was doing. He straightened up, opened the door and stepped through. Lancelot and Gaius both looked at him as he entered.

“Sire?” Gaius asked curiously as Arthur stayed at the door and held it open with one hand. Guinevere stepped through it a moment later and Lancelot instinctively stepped forward to help her with the bedding.

“If he’s ill it’s not going to do him any good laying on soaking wet sheets,” Arthur explained. At his words Guinevere seemed to notice Merlin.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Is he okay?” she asked and glanced between the three of them.

“He won’t wake up,” Arthur told her as he moved over to where Merlin lay. “Come on I’ll move him out of the way whilst you take away the wet bedding,” Arthur said as he put a gentle hand behind Merlin’s head and cradled it carefully as he removed the wet pillow and tossed it on the floor.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lancelot and Gwen start to pull the damp bedding from the other side of the bed. He brushed back some of the damp hair from Merlin’s forehead and half expected Merlin to blink his eyes open and ask him what he was doing.

Apart from deep even breaths Merlin remained still and slept on.

 

***

 

A day passed with no change in Merlin’s condition before Arthur approached Gaius. “No progress?” he asked as he took a seat opposite Gaius at one of his workbenches where he was pouring over a large and dusty book.

“None I’m afraid,” Gaius sighed and closed the book with a thud. Arthur coughed as dust floated up from the tome. Gaius rose to retrieve another from a nearby shelf.

“Do you think Merlin’s illness may have a magical cause?” Arthur asked. Gaius paused for a moment before turning back to the table book in hand.

“I suspect so, yes sire,” Gaius answered at length.

“Then surely these books will be of no use to you? You will need books on magic,” Arthur said. Gaius looked at him appraisingly for a moment.

“Unfortunately such books were one of the first things to be destroyed during the purge.”

Arthur hesitated for a second before speaking. “I may be able to help with that,” he said eventually.

“My lord?” Gaius asked.

“Follow me,” Arthur responded decisively.

 

***

 

“May I ask what we are looking for, my lord?” Gaius asked as they walked down a corridor in the Hall of Records.

“A room,” Arthur told him as he frowned at the shelves upon shelves of books; he had thought it was down this row somewhere. “I found it when I was a child.”

“A room?”

“Yes, it was full of books, among other things. At the time I believed them to be books of magic,” he explained.

“Why did you not tell anyone?” Gaius asked curiously.

Arthur shrugged, “They looked untouched, and I didn’t want anyone to get in trouble for them not having been discovered sooner,” he added with a glance back toward the direction of the entrance where Geoffrey of Monmouth had been sitting when they entered.

He could only imagine his father’s wrath had he known his son had discovered a secret room of magical books and artefacts that the keeper of the Hall of Records had overlooked for a decade. Gaius nodded his understanding.

Arthur stopped in front of a familiar bookcase and felt along the edges of the middle shelf. When he found the lever he beckoned Gaius forward, “Hold on,” he instructed and pressed the lever, the book case span them round into the secret room.

Once steady on his feet Gaius glanced around for a moment before heading toward a shelf, he glanced down the spines of some of the books, “These may indeed be helpful, thank you sire.”

“Good. I’ll send someone down to keep watch for you.”

 

***

 

“Gaius believes the illness to be magical,” Arthur said as he entered Lancelot’s chambers. Lancelot looked up from where he was sitting at the head of the bed next to the still unconscious Merlin.

“He does?”

Arthur rolled his eyes, “I know you know he does Lancelot. I overheard you and Gaius talking yesterday.” At Lancelot’s expression Arthur amended, “Not the entire conversation but most I think.” Lancelot stood from the bed and took a step toward Arthur. “And why does your demeanour make my response to what I heard seem inadequate?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, my lord,” Lancelot replied.

“Very diplomatic Lancelot,” Arthur rolled his eyes. “I don’t like being deceived.”

“I’m quite sure no one does,” Lancelot answered with a wry smile and a glance toward Merlin. “I’m sorry for keeping the change in nature of mine and Merlin’s relationship from you, but it didn’t seem important.”

“Change in-?” Arthur folded his arms and looked over Lancelot’s shoulder toward the window. Obviously Arthur had put two and two together by now, he wasn’t completely naive. He was just having trouble processing the idea for some reason.

It wasn’t that he objected on principle to the idea of either being with another man. He was pretty sure he had felt the same crawling unease when he had thought Merlin was having it off with one the castle maids.

It was, he realised that he had never pictured Merlin with anyone; never contemplated him finding someone to settle down with, someone who would put a drain on his time and draw him away from Arthur when his chores for the day were done.

“I had wondered where he had disappeared to, I suppose he’s been with you?” Arthur asked eventually.

“No Arthur, he wouldn’t neglect his duties. In fact I think he has been working harder than normal,” Lancelot protested. Arthur frowned, now he thought about it his armour still shone as before, his chambers were tidy, his clothes were clean, the food was usually there on time. Merlin had just been absent.

“You’re right, but he’s usually in my chambers more often.”

“I think he’s been trying to give you some space,” Lancelot said hesitantly.

“Space?”

“Yes, we all know how busy you are sire. I think he was trying to allow you space when you aren’t so you would have some time to-” he trailed off and glanced back at Merlin.

“Lancelot?”

“To be with Guinevere, my lord.”

“How do you know that’s why he’s been avoiding me?” Arthur asked.

“Merlin told me.”

“Merlin’s an idiot,” Arthur grunted in response. That Merlin thought he needed to tiptoe around Arthur or that Arthur wouldn’t tell him directly if he wanted him to give him some space was stupid. Or that he thought Arthur would kick Merlin out to spend his free time with Guinevere was ridiculous. He wouldn’t even want to...His thoughts ground to a halt and he stared at Merlin for a moment. Oh.

Arthur felt a hysterical laugh try to make its way out of his throat. To give Arthur time with Gwen, Merlin had sought out Lancelot to fill his spare time with. Lancelot who whilst he cared for Merlin was obviously still pining for Gwen. Gwen who half the court clearly believed Arthur was bedding in his spare time.

But it turned out that in his absence it was Merlin who Arthur was apparently pining for.

The laugh escaped and Arthur sagged against the wall of the chamber. Lancelot frowned at him in concern and asked if he was okay. Arthur laughed again but this time it caught in his throat when his eyes landed on Merlin who was sleeping peacefully though Arthur’s personal revelation.

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. For now what was important was finding a way to wake Merlin up. And as Gaius had told Arthur and Lancelot he believed it to be a magical affliction, it would likely require breaking the laws of the land to do so.

Arthur opened his eyes and looked at Lancelot. Lancelot who had rather effectively sidetracked Arthur from the topic of initial conversation.

“Very good Lancelot, you almost had me completely distracted for a moment. However, when I talked about not liking deception I was not referring to you bedding my manservant,” he said with a bitter twist of his mouth.

Lancelot let out an unsteady breath, “No, my lord.”

“Right then,” Arthur stood up straight and took a step toward Lancelot. “What’s this I hear about the Great Dragon?”

 

***

 

They left Gwen to tend to Merlin and made their way down to the secret chamber in the Hall of Records.

Lancelot hadn’t been very helpful when it came to answering Arthur’s questions so they marched down to the room and entered, as a last minute decision Arthur dragged Gwaine inside with them from where he had stood on guard outside the room.

Gaius looked up from where he sat amongst a pile of books on the floor of the room. “Sire?” he asked. “Has there been any change?”

“No Gaius,” Arthur shook his head and sat down opposite Gaius and his pile of books. Lancelot sat down beside him and Gwaine perched on a nearby wooden chest. “I’m here to ask you what you think the Great Dragon may be able to do to help Merlin.”

Gaius’ expression of feigned surprise was one Arthur realised he had seen more than once before in different circumstances. “I’m not sure what you-”

“I overheard you talking yesterday. It seemed like you though the beast may be of some use.”

“I thought you slew the dragon?” Gwaine asked.

“So did I, but there have been sightings of it since. And seeing as I don’t remember the actual slaying I’m thinking maybe he’s not as dead as we thought?” Arthur looked enquiringly at Gaius.

“My lord-” he began.

“Right now Gaius I just want to wake Merlin up, we can deal with everything else afterward.”

Gaius sighed. “He is alive yes, and what’s more I am quite sure he would help us wake Merlin if asked.”

“Why would a dragon want to help Merlin?” Gwaine frowned.

“Good question, for later,” Arthur added. “The problem right now is finding the dragon so he can help us. Not that I have any idea why he would,” he said and held up his hand when Gwaine opened his mouth again.

“Merlin could call him if he were awake,” Lancelot stated wryly.

“If Merlin were awake we would have no need of the dragon,” Gaius nodded. “The irony is not lost on me.”

Something clicked in Arthur’s head, Merlin telling him he had never known his father, his happiness when Balinor decided to travel with them back to Camelot. Then the image of Merlin crying over Balinor’s body and Merlin telling Arthur he had slain a dragon when he had absolutely no memory of doing so.

“Balinor,” he murmured.

“Merlin’s father,” Gaius nodded.

“Am I missing something?” Gwaine asked.

“Balinor was the last Dragon Lord, we went to find him when the Dragon was laying siege to the castle but he died before we made it back,” Arthur explained.

“He was also Merlin’s father,” Gaius added.

“So is Merlin a...?”

“Dragon Lord. Yes, presumably?” Arthur looked to Gaius who nodded.

“None of which helps us wake Merlin up because he is the only one who can call the dragon or control it,” Lancelot concluded.

There was silence for a moment, but when Arthur glanced over at him Gaius looked thoughtful, “Maybe not,” he said and stood up slowly. Lancelot quickly rose to help him but Gaius shook him off. “Earlier on, I thought I saw...” Gaius trailed off and disappeared behind a bookshelf.

“Gaius what-?”

“Aha!” they heard him exclaim. When he stepped back into view he was covered in cobwebs but wielding a book in his hands triumphantly. “I saw this earlier but left it be because I’d dismissed the idea of us being able to contact the dragon without Merlin.”

“What is it?” Gwaine asked.

“A book of Dragon and Dragon Lord Lore. So if there is any other way to call the Dragon to us hopefully it’ll be in here,” Gaius explained.

“Good work Gaius,” Arthur said and pulled himself to his feet. “Take it back to Lancelot’s rooms so you can keep an eye on Merlin whilst you study it.”

“Of course sire.”

“You two can take turns guarding the room,” he gestured between Gwaine and Lancelot. “I’m afraid I’ve neglected my duties such that Sir Leon is probably about to make a run for it,” he sighed. “Send word as soon as you find anything.”

 

***

 

Arthur hadn’t been able to sleep well the night before over what he now realised was quite a considerable and inappropriate amount of worry for Merlin, but the council meeting he now sat in was certainly helping him on his way to slumber. If not a particularly pleasant one.

Lancelot’s entrance to the council chamber then jolted him quite considerably out of the haze he had fallen into. “Excuse me for a moment gentlemen,” he said and swiftly made his way over to Lancelot. “Have you found something?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, I’m sorry to interrupt but I thought you would want to-”

“No of course, thank you Lancelot,” he said and turned toward the room. “My Lords, I’m afraid we are going to have to finish this session early for today. I will send word for when we will reconvene tomorrow.” There was assorted grumbling and murmurs but for most part they seemed as eager to leave as Arthur.

“Come my lord, we must explain the ritual to you,” Lancelot said and led the way out of the chamber.

“Ritual?”

 

***

 

“Yes, the ritual requires someone who is kin or as kin to the Dragon Lord to speak for them if they are unable to do so,” Gaius explained.

“His mother?” Arthur questioned.

“No Arthur, you,” Lancelot said.

“What?” he asked and sat heavily on the end of the bed facing the other two men in the chairs that had been pulled to the bedside.

“You are the closest of anyone in Camelot to Merlin, Arthur,” Lancelot continued.

Arthur snorted. “I am not the one who is bedding him,” he said snidely. He heard a squeak from the doorway and turned quickly enough to see Gwen blush and stammer an apology before dashing back out of the room.

He turned back and for a moment he thought Lancelot would run after her, but he quickly schooled his expression. “It has to be you Arthur.”

“He’s been avoiding me for weeks, months even. I don’t see-”

“He has dedicated his life to protecting and serving you. Of course it has to be you,” Lancelot argued.

Arthur looked at Merlin and had a flash of memory from years ago, when Merlin had barely been in Camelot a year. ‘I'm happy to be your servant,’ he had said, ‘Till the day I die’.

“What do I have to do?”

 

***

 

After they had practiced reciting the incantation Gaius had found in his Dragon book for an extended and truly torturous amount of time, during which Arthur had to repeatedly suppress the apoplectic voice of his father asking what he thought he was doing learning spells, they finally left the castle. They headed for a clearing not too far away, so as not to disturb Merlin too much via a long journey but far enough away that if they were successful the dragon would hopefully not be noticed from Camelot.

The closer they got to their destination the more nervous Arthur became. If they were even successful, what was to say the dragon would help them? Considering whom Arthur and who his father was the dragon was more likely to kill him where he stood than to hear him out.

Nonetheless he carried on and kept his doubts to himself. Of course he did. He didn’t know how he had been so naive in the past for he had done this type of thing for Merlin countless times in the past with barely a second thought to his own safety.

He felt a pang of guilt as he glanced over at Lancelot who was travelling cradling Merlin in front of him carefully on the horse. It was rather a mess. He was sure if they knew of the situation the court bards would have enough material to last them decades.

It wasn’t that he did not care for Gwen, or even love her. But Merlin was just Merlin. He wondered if perhaps that was the way Lancelot felt, but with Merlin and Gwen’s roles reversed. Arthur really had caused quite a bit of trouble by coming between them in the first place. And now if he spoke to Gwen and she returned to Lancelot Merlin would be left alone.

One problem at a time, he thought as they approached the clearing. First he had to talk to a dragon.

 

***

 

His throat was hoarse and he’d been shouting at the sky, a hand on Merlin’s heart, for what felt like hours when he heard it. The sound of the swift cut through the air the dragon’s wings made still brought a spike of fear to his gut that he associated with the siege two years past.

Gaius and Lancelot took several steps back as the dragon landed in the clearing before them, leaving Arthur and Merlin to face the beast up close and personal.

“What do you want Pendragon?” the Dragon’s voice seemed to permeate his flesh and resonate in his bones.

“I need your help,” he ignored the strain on his already weakened voice as he shouted up to the Great Dragon. “Merlin needs you,” he said and looked down at the man beside him, Arthur’s hand still rested on his heart.

“You cannot wake him?” the dragon asked.

“No, Gaius our physician has tried everything.”

The dragon laughed, “Not everything Pendragon, he is but one man. One old man with little knowledge of how to care for your young warlock. If he had tried everything you would not be here, asking for my help.”

“Do you know how to wake him or should I begin looking elsewhere?” Arthur demanded. A huge and terrifying beast he may be, but Arthur didn’t like being laughed at.

“And where else would you look?” the dragon enquired.

“Anywhere. Everywhere,” Arthur added softly as he looked down at Merlin once again.

“And why should I help you revive him? Surely you would only have him executed for his crimes?”

“No!” Arthur protested. “He has committed no crime, but the protection of Camelot.”

“Not of Camelot Little King, he protects you. You are two sides of the same coin Arthur Pendragon. Emrys would protect you until his dying breath.” Arthur presumed this was supposed to feel like the dragon had imparted some great knowledge. As the dragon continued about their shared and great destiny all Arthur could think was that he had kind of already known.

There had been something about Merlin from the very beginning and over the past few days with Merlin unconscious and unable to distract him from more than one hidden truth the pieces had finally fallen into place.

“Please, help him,” Arthur asked when the dragon had finished.

“I can help him. Several days ago the enchantments the witch Morgause had placed upon Cendred’s lands fell. The magical landscape that Merlin had grown with changed in an instant and he was unprepared for it,” the dragon explained.

“But you can help him?” Arthur asked.

“I can. Step back,” the dragon instructed. Arthur did so, Gaius patted his should briefly whilst Lancelot brushed the other with his own.

In front of them the dragon bent down over Merlin’s unconscious body and closed his eyes. It began to make a low noise that grew in volume and intensity so quickly that Arthur had no recourse but to cover his ears with his hands. At his sides Gaius and Lancelot had already done the same.

When a bright light began to glow from around Merlin, Arthur moved forward. He was quickly held back by Lancelot who cried out in pain as his ears were left uncovered. Arthur hastily stepped back in line and indicated for Lancelot to cover his ears again. Eventually they also had to shut their eyes as the light became too bright to look at.

It could have been seconds or hours later, but the noise and light ceasing simultaneously and without warning made if feel as if it ended suddenly. In the few seconds it took for Arthur to open his eyes the beat of wings sounded and the clearing was empty but for Merlin when he looked upon it again.

Despite the moment’s hesitation he was still by Merlin’s side before Lancelot or Gaius had moved. His hand instinctively went back to Merlin’s chest and the other pushed his hair back off his forehead. This time though Merlin groaned and blinked open his eyes.

Arthur let out a breath that he felt like he had been holding for days.

“Arthur,” Merlin croaked trying to sit up. Arthur reached round to help him up so they were sitting at eye level to one another. “Arthur I-” Merlin choked off and it was only then through the haze of relief that Arthur realised Merlin looked terrified. Arthur resisted the temptation to look over his shoulder for some unforeseen foe. He had just faced the Great Dragon; Lancelot would surely take care of anything else that happened along in the aftermath.

“What is it Merlin?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, so sorry Arthur. I’ll understand if you don’t want me to come back to the castle with you. I didn’t want to lie to you but I needed to make sure you were safe and-”

“Merlin, shut up,” Arthur interrupted and pulled Merlin to him in a rough hug. When Merlin’s hands hesitantly came up to reciprocate he buried his face in Merlin’s neck and had every intention of staying there.

 

***

 

“We can’t tell anyone about this you know,” Arthur murmured into Merlin’s neck on the way back to the castle. Somehow Merlin had ended up riding Arthur’s horse with Arthur sharing the saddle behind him. Gaius and Lancelot were in sight but up far up ahead of them.

“Really? You mean we can’t tell anyone that the Prince of Camelot recited an incantation and bargained with a dragon for the life of his sorcerer manservant?” Merlin asked. Arthur pinched him, and then used the movement as an excuse to wrap his arm around Merlin’s waist.

“Not whilst my father is King no,” Arthur responded, ignoring Merlin’s sarcasm.

“What about when you’re King?” Merlin asked quietly.

“When I’m King, I’ll make you the Court Sorcerer,” he declared.

Arthur didn’t need to see Merlin’s face to know he was smiling that genuine little smile which was so much rarer than his ridiculous grin.

“Until then you’ll have to remain my manservant,” Arthur continued and hooked his chin over Merlin’s shoulder. “And I’m afraid you’ll no longer have time for any dalliances with my knights.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmmhmm,” Arthur responded as he nosed behind Merlin’s ear.

“And what of your dalliances?” Merlin asked softly.

“I’ll talk to Guinevere, Merlin, about following her heart. She should have always been with Lancelot, not me,” he said seriously. Merlin finally relaxed back into Arthur’s hold and pulled Arthur’s other hand up to lace through his where he held the reins of the horse.

“So what will I be doing that I’ll no longer have time for dalliances with your knights?” Merlin asked.

“Much the same I should imagine, but with your Prince,” Arthur responded and attempted to keep the growl out of his tone. Merlin shivered in his arms so he probably wasn’t too successful, but the response was not all bad. “We are after all two sides of the same coin; this is probably something you should have taken upon yourself to initiate from the beginning.”

Merlin groaned, “What else did the dragon say?” he asked, even though he sounded as if he didn’t want to know.

“Well let’s put it this way it sounds like we’ve got a lot of destiny type stuff to occupy us as well,” he sighed. “If we can spare the time,” he added with a kiss to the same spot behind Merlin’s ear.

“It’ll keep,” Merlin said with a squeeze of Arthur’s hand.

Of course it would keep. It was destiny after all; they would always get there eventually.


End file.
